Day 27 - Auckland city centre.

After yesterdays disaster, I walked into the main shop bit in Titirangi to find a proper cash point to get some money out. Success! Only down fall was it only dispensed $50 notes, so I went over to the shop to buy some water so I had change for the bus. Back in the UK if you handed over a £20 note for a £1 bottle of water you’d probably be glared at and asked if you had anything smaller but here it’s just the norm, which I find really weird and a little hard to get used too. I picked up the bus from the town and the first one that came along was the 173 being driven by Ray! He charged me a child’s price again and told me to treat myself with the change, what a really lovely man!

I went right into the city and wondered around a bit. Not really looking at anything in particular but just seeing what Auckland city had to offer. My first port of call was 2 degrees to see if they did a cheap sim, mostly so I can use the Internet, maps and all those kinds of things and not be charged extortionate prices from the UK! Luckily for me they did, I grabbed myself a $10 deal, which is a fiver for a months worth of stuff, pretty sweet. From here I could navigate myself to the Kiwi Experience shop, which is what I will be heading off to do, come Tuesday. I booked myself on the bus and I’m so excited for this adventure to start!! It’s a hop on hop off bus that is going to take me all over the north and south island. When Chrissy and I went to Australia we did the Oz Experience bus which all started because of the one in NZ.

I walked to the Sky Tower and watched some people jump off it, you can pay to do that, it’s not suicide or anything. It is a bit too pricey for my liking though, so I think I’ll just go to the viewing deck instead when I come back here before I leave to go to Sydney.

I walked to North Wharf as this is where the bank Stuart works in is. It is a little like Gunwharf waterfront with outside eating and they’ve transformed a number of old shipping containers into restaurants. Apparently it has only been open just under a year but it is a must do for a lovely evening in Auckland. You get great views of the city and you can see the Harbour bridge. We had a tour of the ASB bank, which was rather swanky and then ate dinner in an Italian place called Portofino.